The 2023 NBA Draft is a week away and trade rumors are starting to heat up. The Detroit Pistons are being mentioned more frequently, as there has been speculation that they will try to trade their 5th pick.
Of course, there has also been speculation that Detroit will try to trade back for additional picks, so I’d like to officially welcome you to smokescreen season!
One of the teams that is actively trying to trade their pick according to multiple reports is the Dallas Mavericks, who have the 10th pick but would allegedly like to swap it for talent that can help them win now.
There could be a match with the Detroit Pistons and a recent rumor fanned the flames of that idea.
Detroit Pistons fleece the Mavericks in unlikely trade rumor
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Pistons have been mentioned as a possible trade partner with the Mavericks, but the one he suggested seems very unlikely:
"“Some trade scenarios could be in play for the Pistons with the No. 31 pick as well, for example, packaging Bojan Bogdanovic for Tim Hardaway Jr. and the No. 10 pick, sources tell ESPN.”"
While there might be some substance to this idea, it seems lopsided in favor of the Detroit Pistons (I’m ok with that) and even a trade that both teams would turn down for a couple of reasons.
Let’s start with the easy side and take a look at why Dallas would likely hang up the phone and delete the Pistons’ number.
Detroit Pistons fleece the Mavericks in unlikely trade rumor
The Dallas Mavericks would need to achieve one of two goals in order to get value from trading the 10th pick, and ideally the trade would do both.
The first is that they need an upgrade of talent, and while Bojan Bogdanovic is definitely better than Tim Hardaway Jr. the difference is probably not enough to move the needle and that’s before you get into the fact that Bogdanovic is three years older.
Neither guy is a great defender or rebounder. Bogdanovic averaged 21.6 points last season while shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range on six attempts per game, but he only played in 59 games after the Pistons shut him down and went into full-blown tank mode.
THJ averaged 14.4 points per game while shooting 38.5 percent from long range on 7.7 attempts per game. So yes, Bojan is a better offensive player, but he’s a worse defender and the shooting is nearly a wash when you consider Hardaway Jr. had more attempts in his 71 games played.
This is an upgrade, but not one that would seemingly move the needle much, so it fails the first test.
The second goal would be to clear significant cap space so that the Mavericks could add more free-agent talent around Luka Doncic. In this deal they would actually take on money, as Bojan is making just under $3 million more than THJ next season, whose contract actually goes down the next two seasons. Even when you factor in the salaries of the draft picks, it’s pretty much a financial wash for Dallas.
The only savings would potentially be year two, as Hardaway Jr’s second year is fully guaranteed and Bojan’s isn’t. There are some potential savings, but not until year two and the Mavericks are trying to win right now.
So would Dallas really give up the 10th pick for a marginal upgrade in talent that didn’t give them any immediate cap relief? Seems unlikely. They’d probably ask the Detroit Pistons to take on Davis Bertans as well, so they would at least clear some cap space.
From the Mavericks point of view, this trade doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, so how about the Pistons?
Detroit Pistons fleece the Mavericks in unlikely trade rumor
There’s not a whole lot of downside to this for the Detroit Pistons, who would be taking back a lesser talent, but still getting a guy who could help them in Hardaway Jr. He’s also getting paid less, so they’d actually be saving money (not including the salary for the pick), not taking a huge step back talent-wise, and picking up another top-10 pick for their troubles.
So if this deal were actually on the table, there is a good chance the Pistons would say yes, as they’d essentially be switching out Bojan for Hardaway Jr. and the 31st pick for the 10th while paying about the same for the exchange.
However, there is an argument against this as well. Bogdanovic is better than Hardaway Jr. and though it’s not by a significant margin, the disparity is there.
Also, do the Detroit Pistons really need another young draft pick? The core of their team is very young already and there may not be minutes for yet another rookie, especially if Detroit actually plans to be good next season.
Stacking multiple players from the same draft may not make sense for a young roster that needs more veteran talent.
In the end, it’s hard to see this trade happening without some modifications and the Detroit Pistons taking back more salary, but if the 10th pick is truly on the table in a deal like this, the Pistons aren’t going to hang up the phone.